


Untamed Heart

by Reallyscj



Category: Out There - Fandom
Genre: Asexual Character, Deaf Character, I know the bare bones, M/M, Minor Hospitalization, Minor Injuries, Non-Gabe Rich Big Bang, Original Character(s), out there, unwanted flirting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-24
Updated: 2019-05-17
Packaged: 2019-11-04 17:37:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,092
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17902532
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Reallyscj/pseuds/Reallyscj
Summary: Jackson loves his life, working at the video store and carrying on conversations with the customers. But when a major event turns his life upside down, can the new annoying customer help him find the right path?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I know the bare bones of ASL and the deaf community, if I have made a mistake please let me know and I will fix it. I also took some artistic liberties with the hospital things to make it work for the story, but it is mostly accurate.
> 
> Also, this is my first completed Big Bang, so be gentle.

The night had been long and Jackson was ready to leave. Working the movie story used to be fun. He used to have multiple conversations a night about various actors, plot points, and twist endings. But with the rise of the streaming services, fewer people were renting movies.

The store he worked at only stayed open because of their awesome deals. Most movies were two for a dollar, with the exception of new releases, and they had a section of kids movies that could be rented completely free.

But tonight had been a slow one. The only real excitement had been when a man and a woman came in and inquired about an obscure movie. Luckily, he knew what they were asking about. He always knew. There had not been one customer that was able to bust him in trivia, and Jackson had been at the movie store for a while.

“Hey, Jax,” a small familiar voice called out.

Jackson stood up and smiled brightly at the 12-year-old in front of him.

“Hey, Felix. How's it going?”

“Not bad. Mom's got a new guy coming over tonight, so I'm gonna stay up in my room. Got any good recommendations?”

Jackson thought for a moment. He cared for the kid like a little brother. Felix had been coming into the store for the past couple of years. He and his mother moved into the apartment complex just behind the shop after Felix's dad walked out on them. Now his mom cycled through guys every few weeks to a month. So Felix would come into the shop to hang out and then take a movie that Jackson had recommended home to have a bit of an escape from the randomness that was his life.

“Hmm, what genre are you feeling?” Jackson inquired. 

“Comedy sounds good. Something stupid funny.” Felix gave a small chuckle. 

Jackson walked out from behind the counter and walk towards the two for one dollar movies. All the movie genres were mixed together and everything was ordered alphabetically.

On his way over he got a devilish idea. Passing the regular movies, he quickly stepped to the Disney section. He grabbed a movie and turned around to a confused Felix. 

“ _The Emperor’s New Groove_? David Spade is pretty stupid.” Jackson fought the urge to bust out laughing.

Felix's face turned from confused to annoyance. “Really?! What am I, five?”

Jackson couldn't keep the laughter contained any longer. 

“I'm sorry. I had to.” Putting the movie back he motioned to the kid, “Here, I've got a great movie for ya.”

The two of them walked down the rows until Jackson stopped in front of the M section. He reached up and grabbed an older looking movie.

“Here, _Monty Python's Holy Grail_. It's British humor, so it can be odd and dry at times, but I guarantee you will enjoy this.”

Felix took the movie from the older man's hands. Turn it over he looked skeptical.

“Hey,” Jackson cut Felix off guard and the kid jumped, “have I ever steered you wrong?”

Felix thought for a moment and then shook his head. “No, I love all the movies you have sent me home with.”

“All right then, go grab another movie and we’ll get you rung up.” Then Jackson turned and went back to the counter to wait as Felix found something else.

He had just made it back to his original spot when the door chime alerting a new person had entered the store.

Jackson looked up to greet the new customer, only to find that he could see no one other than Felix.

The open layout of the store meant that Jax could be able to see all corners. Confused Jackson logged back into his work computer.

He was concentrating on a list of accounts with overdue balances that he needed to call when an unfamiliar voice startled him.

“Excuse me?”

Jax jumped, what felt like, 15 feet and hit a few random keys on the keyboard. With a hand over his heart, he looked up to see a man standing in front of him.

He was pretty ordinary looking. His bright blonde hair was in an undercut type style, short on the sides and back, but longer on the top. He wore a well-worn T-shirt with a Ghostbusters logo. What stopped Jackson was the man's eyes. They were an ice blue except for the bottom half of his left eye which was a hazel brown. Jax had never seen anything like it before, and he was intrigued.

“Hello?” The man sings songs. Then the man raised his voice and started to speak slowly while randomly waving his hands and all movements, “I. Would. Like. To. Rent. A. Movie.”

Jackson screwed up his face in confusion and fought the fire he felt in his belly. He placed both hands flat on the counter and took a deep breath. He raised his hands and gracefully signed as he spoke.

“No, I am not deaf or hard of hearing but my brother is.” He dropped his hands.

The man's face turned five shades of red.

Felix appeared next to the man, holding the two movies he would be taking home. He looked from the man back to Jackson's annoyed look and then back to the man's blushing face.

“You done fucked up my dude,” Felix chuckled. 

Jackson broke eye contact with the man and glared at the young boy.

“Felix!” He scolded, “your mom will kill me if she knew you spoke like that here.”

Felix shot a cheeky grin. “It's true though. The last time I saw you look this pissed off was when someone brought the copy of Super Mario Bro the Movie back scratched.”

“That movie is a treasure!” Jackson pointed at the boy. 

Felix just shrugged and shook his head.

Jackson turned back to the man. “Do you have an account?”

“Um,” the man sounded nervous, “not yet. I just need to know if this movie is even available.”

Jackson sighed and stared at the man waiting for him to continue.

“Oh yeah. You need the name. Um, _Untamed Heart_? It's got Christ-”

“Christian Slater, Marissa Tomé, and Rosie Perez. Quiet man has a mysterious background and saves the cute girl from a crime. Cute girl learns about Mysterious Guy’s former life. It's a great romantic drama from the early 90s.” Jackson rattled off the information in one breath. 

The man was shocked and speechless and just stared slack-jawed at the clerk.

Jackson turned his attention to the computer screen and spoke to the man while he typed in the information.

“I'm pretty sure that we don't have that here. Annd… I'm right. But if this is something you really need, I can order it from one of the other stores and let you know when it comes in.”

Jax looked up to see them in a blink multiple times as if bringing himself back to reality.

“Yeah, sounds like a plan.” The man took the pen and paper that Jax had set on the counter and quickly wrote his name and number.

“Look forward to your call.” The man flashed to smile and left the store.

Jackson grabbed the paper and glanced at the information scrolled on it.

**Kai 515-555-3214**

Scoffing he threw the paper back on the counter.

“You gonna get the movie for him?” Felix inquired as he placed his movies on the counter.

Jackson answered as he rung up the movies. “Yeah, it's my job. At least it will be a couple of days so I can calm down. Though I'm pretty sure he learned a valuable lesson today.”

Felix gave a wry chuckle, grabbed his movies, and left with a wave.

The last hours went by with a couple of customers looking for last minute entertainment. As Jackson closed up, his eyes caught the paper with Kai’s number. He was still angered by the mocking that was done, but there was something intriguing about the man that had planted in his brain and wouldn't let go.

~~***~~

It took some digging and some calling around, but after a week he found a store about an hour out of town that had a copy. They were unable to send it to his store, so Jackson decided that he would drive up the following day on his day off.

The drive was nice and the store was smaller than his. The clerk was a peppy 16-year-old girl and she happily handed over at the movie stating that it had been a while since anyone had checked it out. She was just happy that someone was looking for it.

“It's a very underappreciated film. I cry every time I watch it.” Her brunette ponytail bounced wildly as she spoke.

“It is pretty unknown,” Jackson agreed, “I was surprised that it was asked for, let alone that someone would have it. So, thank you.”

The young clerk just flashed a bright smile and gave a curt nod.

Jackson gave a small wave and left the store. 

The drive home felt longer, but that could have had more to do with the greasy burger that sat his stomach.

The receipt was crumpled on the floor, along with the drive-through girl's phone number. She was cute, but he wasn't interested. Jackson wasn't really sure what he was interested in any way.

Growing up he felt different than most of his peers (as cliché as that sounds). While he craved affection from guys, the problem came that he didn't feel the need to hop into bed with them.

He was fine with holding hands, kissing, and cuddling. But as soon as it started to progress past that, he would get sick to his stomach and have to leave. After his first couple relationships crashing and burning, he just prepared himself for a life alone. Who would want to be with someone who couldn't satisfy the most carnal instinct of humans?

_Stop!_ He thought to himself. _Stop with the demeaning thoughts. They do you no good._

Just as he pulled into his parking spot at his apartment complex, he noticed the movie still in the passenger seat.

“Shit,” he breathed. Jackson was going to drop it off on his way home. His plan was to have his coworker called Kai. He still felt uneasy whenever he thought of the exchange between them. But now he was going to have to do it himself.

Sighing, he grabbed the movie. No use in letting a good movie go unwatched.

The next day at work was unusually hectic. The company had sent out “one day only” text messages giving the recipient any rental for free.

Jackson barely had time to breathe. If he wasn't ringing someone up, he was fielding questions about which movie was better or what would be best for date night. 

When Felix stopped in Jax ended up sending him to the pizza place next-door with $20 and an order of a large pepperoni, 2 liter of Mountain Dew, and whatever Felix wanted with the rest of the money. Felix thanked him and stated he would be back a little later after some homework. 

After about four hours, the crowd died down and Jackson was able to feel like he could breathe. He turned around to look at the return area, only to find it full of movies need to be checked back into the system and back out on the floor. It was as if the first shift didn't even try to touch the area.

He was squatted down trying to organize the movies into some sort of order when he heard a familiar voice behind him.

“So, you get lucky lately?” Kai’s voice held humor. 

Jackson's stomach dropped. Why was Kai here? Jax hadn't called him. He hadn't had a chance to mentally prepare himself. Jackson had no idea why he was affected so much by Kai, but he was going to be a professional. 

Jackson gently set the movies on the floor, stood up slowly, and face the other man.

Kai was casually leaning on the counter with an easy smile on his face. He wore a soft red shirt with a yellow Flash symbol on it.

An uneasy feeling uncurled in Jackson's stomach. Taking a deep breath and setting his face, he stepped forward and put on his most sickeningly sweet customer service voice.

“How can I help you tonight, sir?” He capped it off with a bright smile.

Kai’s cocky smile fell just a touch, but he caught it.

“Well sir,” Kai was playing into the game and it annoyed Jax, the smile dropped from his face, “I was in a couple days ago and one of your wonderful employees helped me find a movie. He was a good-looking chap as well, with light brown hair and golden eyes.”

Jackson rolled said eyes.

“You see, I was accidentally rude to this guy and I wanted to say sorry. I also wanted to know if he was able to find my movie.”

Jackson was just barely able to keep the unamused look on his face. A small warmth started to grow in his chest, but he pushed it away. He was not going to forgive so easily. He had dealt with too many bullies over the years with his brother and words alone were not going to fix this.

Throwing his head back dramatically, Jackson turned to the back counter and grabbed the movie. He set it on the counter next to the computer and looked up to face Kai once again. 

“Alright, before I hand this over to you I'm going to need some information to set up your account. The easiest way is with your driver's license. Do you have yours with you?”

Jackson looked up to see an odd look on Kai’s face. He looked nervous or scared, but reached into his back pocket and retrieved his wallet. It was covered in a collage of the original Nintendo gamepad. 

“OK, but no laughing,” Kai stated slowly as he handed over the thin piece of plastic.

Jackson took it gently and turned it over to input the information. He immediately had to swallow down a laugh that tried to escape. 

The picture was a typical looking drivers license picture. It seemed to be a few years old with Kai’s hair a little shorter and there was no smile on his face, but that wasn't what had Jackson swallowing laughs. 

Malachi Eugene Walker. _That poor bastard_ , Jax thought to himself. 

The name didn't seem to match the personality that Jackson had observed from him. 

“So,” Jackson pause to compose himself, “Malachi, is this your current address?” A small chuckle escaped from his chest. 

Kai sighed and ran a hand down his face. “Yeah,” he dropped his hand and looked Jax directly in the eyes, “you going to drop by sometime?”

Jackson kept the eye contact and confidently stated, “No.” Then looked back down and started to type in all the needed information.

After a few quiet moments of neither man speaking, Jackson looked back up to Kai. He had moved to put his head on his hands staring intently at the shorter man. 

Jackson handed the identification back to Kai and looked back down to the computer screen to ring up the movie. 

Jackson's spoke without looking up, “So since this is a new account you have a month of half-price rentals. Also, this movie is part of our two for one dollar. So if you'd like to, you can find another movie to rent with this.” He motioned to the area with the older movies.

Kai stood for a few moments, seeming to wait for Jax to look at him. When it was apparent that it was not going to happen, he turned on his heels and walked down the aisles. 

Jackson glanced up slightly, stealing a glance at the other man. Kai looked deep in thought at one of the many movies. Jackson clicked around on the screen making it seem as if it was taking more time to get the account set up. 

Jackson had only ever seen Kai from behind the counter. Seeing him in the aisles Jackson was able to take in more information about the taller man.

Kai was lean, with an athletic build, wearing faded blue skinny jeans and well worn black skater shoes. There were holes in the sides so large that Jax could see the multicolored socks Kai was wearing. There was a hint of a tattoo peeking out from under his left sleeve that had Jackson very curious. 

As if sensing the eyes on him, Kai looked up quickly in Jackson’s direction. Jax quickly dropped his gaze back to the computer screen.

Out of his peripheral Jax watched Kai walk back up to the counter and set a movie there. Looking up and grabbing the case he couldn't help but laugh at the customer.

“R.I.P.D.? This is the movie you choose?”

“What? It's got Ryan Reynolds. He’s funny.”

“You know what, I'm going to let you make this mistake on your own.” Jackson shook his head and finished ringing everything up.

“Your total comes to fifty cents with the discount. When you come back we will look up your info from your phone number. Also, I spared you and signed you up as Kai.”

“Wow, thanks,” Kai sounded genuine as he reached into his pocket and set two quarters on the counter.

Jackson motion for him to walk through the alarm system and handed him the cases. “These are due back by midnight in five days.”

As Kai took them, his hand brushed Jackson's fingers and a shock of static electricity had Jax snatching his hand back quickly.

“Sparks are flying already,” Kai cocky voice was back and he dropped a wink.

Jax huffed and turned his back organizing papers on the counter. He heard the chiming of the doorbell but didn't move.

He was deep in thought feeling conflicted. Kai was cocky and very forward, but every once in a while he dropped the acting showed vulnerability. It confused and upset Jax leaving in an uneasy feeling. He was intrigued to know more, but angered by his actions.

“Jax?!” Felix almost yelled, startling Jax.

“Huh? Oh, hey little man. What's up?”

“What's up with you? I was calling your name for, like, five minutes.” Felix's face held concern.

Jackson shook his head and waved his hands in the air as if to brush away the concern of Felix felt. “Nah, I'm fine. How did you like the movies last night?”

Felix still looked skeptical. His mouth was open like he wanted to say something, but nothing came out. He shook his head to clear it and answered Jax.

“They were great. You were right about _Holy Grail_ , ‘Tis but a scratch’”

“We are the Knights that say Ne!” Jackson immediately answered back. They both laughed and Felix handed the watched movies back to the older man.

“I can't stay long tonight,” Felix sounded somber, “I bombed my math test today, so I have extra homework to make sure I really know the material.”

Jackson sucked in a breath through clenched teeth. “Ouch, that sucks man.”

The young man just shrugged, “It is, what it is. Plus if I want to become a videogame designer I have to get better at math.”

“That's a good way at looking at things.”

Jackson admired the kid’s drive. He was never that dedicated to school. He always did the bare minimum and never had an idea of what he wanted to do when he grew up. His teachers were always telling him that he had so much potential, but Jackson just couldn't sit still long enough to apply it. 

Now that he was an adult, he wished that he had done more. Sure he was the assistant manager of the video store, but people now days liked to see further education. All of the guys he had dated told him that the relationship wouldn't be able to go anywhere because he refused to change jobs. He wasn't “making something of himself”.

Jackson reached out and ran his hand back and forth on top of Felix’s head, messing up the hair there. Felix pulled away and glared at him.

Jackson just laughed at the look on his face. He looked like an upset puppy, more cute than intimidating.

“I'm proud of you, bud. Get those grades up so that we can talk more movies. Now scoot before your mom comes over and yells at the both of us.”

Felix rolled his eyes but smiled nonetheless as he exited the store. 


	2. Chapter 2

_The creature lunged for Jackson once again. Red scar tissue covered its eyes and rotting teeth filled the mouth. Jackson dodged the Resident Evil like monstrosity and pushed it toward the man that was hunting it. Just as he did, a shotgun blast hit him in the stomach. It caught him off guard, but there was no blood. Jax knew he needed to remove the buckshot in some way, so he started coughing. The small beads flew out of his mouth with each retch._

The shrill ringing of his cell phone pulled him from the dream. Grumbling he rolled over and snatched his phone from the side table. Squinting at the brightness of his screen, his eyes finally focused on the number and he swore internally. Someone from his hometown was calling. He answered it quickly.

“Hello?”

“Is this Jackson Hall, the emergency contact for Ryker Hall?” The woman on the other line asked curtly. 

Jackson shot up in bed at the mention of his little brother’s name, suddenly more awake. 

“Yes. Is everything ok?” Panic setting in his chest. 

“He will be. It seems that he was hit by a car. There are multiple injuries and will require surgery. At the moment we have him medically sedated. You are listed as his power of attorney and the one to make medical decisions.”

Jackson was already out of bed and throwing clothes on. “I live out of town, but can be there in about three hours.” Jackson’s spoke quickly grabbing a duffel bag and throwing clothes into it. “If he wakes before I get there, he’ll need an interpreter he is deaf.”

“Thank you. I will note that on his chart. Is this a cell phone that we can get a hold of you if there are any changes?”

“Yes, it is.” Jax grabbed his keys off the hook and stepped outside.

Hanging up with the hospital, he quickly called the general manager to inform her that he would not be in today and he didn’t know how long he would be out. She wished him well and assured him that everything would be taken care of on their end. 

He hopped in his car and set out on one of the most nerve-wracking drives of his life.

~~***~~

Two hours and fifteen minutes later Jackson was parking in the visitor parking at the Good Samaritan Medical Center. Traffic was scarce and Jax may have gone a few (or ten) miles over the speed limit. Luckily he never saw a state trooper.

As he walked through the entrance, he made a beeline for the admissions desk. 

Taking a deep breath he tried to speak as calmly as he could. “Ryker Hall, I'm looking for Ryker Hall’s room.”

The nurse, a middle-aged lady with a short bob of salt and pepper hair, smiled warmly at him. “Let me see if I can help you. Are you a friend or family?”

“Family, I'm his brother.”

“Alright.” She looked back at her computer screen and typed in the information. “OK, it looks like he is up in ICU. So go down this hall, take a left, and you'll see a bank of elevators. Take those up to the 3rd floor, the nurses there can help you.”

Jackson nodded and set out to follow the given directions.

Stepping off the elevator, he was greeted with another desk with another nurse behind it. She gave him a visitor pass and directed him to the correct room.

Jackson's knees almost gave out when he stepped into the room. There was his baby brother all bruised and battered. His left leg was being held up in a sling and there was a metal contraption enveloping it, connected with large screws. His left arm was wrapped in a sling and there were cuts and scrapes all over his face. But that wasn't the worst part. No, it was the fact that of all the wires and tubes, his brother was on a ventilator. What in the hell had happened?

[ ](https://imgur.com/HoqtdCx)

Jackson gripped the door frame and let out a shaky breath. He swallowed the lump in his throat, squared his shoulders, and moved next to the bed.

He listened to the study beeping of the machines for a few moments before sitting down in the purple recliner next to the bed. 

 

Jackson's brain was overrun by all the questions and emotions he had running through his body. How did this happen? How much damage has been done? Will Ryker be able to come back from this?

Ryker had been his responsibility ever since their parents died seven years ago. Jax had been 18 and Ryker was 16. Jackson had all his affairs put in order to move out of town, but all of that was put on hold when the sheriff showed up at his house. His parents were coming back from a fundraiser for the National Association of the Deaf. A semi-truck driver had fallen asleep at the wheel and crossed the median. Having to tell his brother was one of the hardest days of his life.

Seeing his brother in the hospital bed almost topped that. 

As gently as he could without upsetting the IV tubes, Jackson took his brother's hand. He let go of all the emotion that he had been holding on to the whole drive up and let the tears fall. He leaned forward and buried his face in the bed to stifle his sobs.

After what felt like forever, the last tear fell. Jackson’s body was exhausted. Between waking up early, adrenaline from the drive, and all the emotion he had just let go of; he was losing the battle to keep his eyes open.

Sneaking one more look at his brother, Jax gave in and let his eyes slid closed.

~~***~~

“Sir?”

A sweet voice flooded his ears. Jax blinked his eyes open to see a girl around his age bent close to him. She had a gentle hand on his shoulder. She must have been shaking him awake. He sat up slowly and looked around. It took a moment for him to remember where he was, but it all flooded back.

It was dark outside and Jackson checked the clock. He had been sleeping for four hours.

He glanced hopefully up to his brother, but his heart sank when he saw that he was still not conscious. 

“We have been slowly lowering the meds to gently wake him up. It's projected that he should wake sometime tomorrow.” The nurse spoke in a direct way but still had heart. “Are you hungry?”

“Huh?” Jackson turned and faced the nurse.

“You've been in here for hours and word has it that you made the drive in three hours.”

“Two and a quarter.” Jackson felt an odd sense of pride at the wide-eyed look that adorned the nurse’s face at that piece of information.

“Well,” she chuckled a bit, “it seems that it has been a while since you have eaten. Why don't you head down to the cafeteria and I promise I'll keep a good eye on your brother.”

Jackson’s stomach did have that uncomfortable empty feeling that came with hunger. Food would do him good, but at the same time, he was anxious to leave his brother.

Sure the nurse said that Ryker was not expected to wake until tomorrow, but what if he woke up early and Jackson wasn't there? Was there someone that could interpret? If there was no one in the room, how would he alert the nurses that he was awake?

“Mr. Hall?” The nurses chipper voice cut through his panic. “The nurse's station is right out the door. We have the same monitors showing his vitals that are in here. If there is any change to his heart rate or breathing, we will be in here. Plus-” The young nurse brought her hands in front of her and deftly maneuvered them to point to herself, then her head, and finally moved them in front of her.

Jackson's heart swelled. The nurse has expertly informed him that she knew sign language, and thus quelled most of the worry he had. He swallowed the lump that had risen in his throat.

“When your brother was brought up to our unit, I requested to have him be my patient since I am fluent in ASL. Now, I have your number and will contact you if there are any changes. So take care of yourself so that you can take care of your brother.”

Seeing that this was a losing battle, Jackson admitted defeat, gave a quick nod, and made his way down to the cafeteria.

The choices at the cafeteria were sparse. There was a small flat top grill where you could get hamburgers, chicken fingers, and fries. An area with cold sandwiches, pastry items, and chips. There was even a salad bar with a couple of types of greens and multiple choices for dressing.

After some back and forth with himself, Jax chose a hamburger and fries. It probably wasn't the most healthy choice, but after the commotion of the day, he felt like treating himself.

Jackson ate so fast, he was not even sure he tasted his food. He was hungrier than he had first thought and after no time at all he was back up and his brother's room.

Nothing had changed, thankfully. Jackson didn't doubt the nurse, but seeing his brother still sleeping was actually cathartic.

Looking around Jackson was actually able to take in the rest of the room. In addition to the purple chair he had previously sat in, there was a TV, a small sink, a tiny fridge, and what looked like a bench that could convert to a bed.

Finding the remote connected to the bed, he decided to see what was on the TV. Flipping the channels he landed on an old teen drama from his high school days. He chuckled to himself and sat back to lose himself in the cheesy storylines.

~~***~~

Jackson had a terrible night’s sleep and was more tired than he could ever remember. After the unplanned a nap in the chair, the uncomfortable bench/bed, and the nurses coming in every two hours to check Ryker’s vitals, there was very little sleep to be had. At the moment he was nursing his 2nd cup of coffee and watching a random morning talk show.

The nurse of the hour, a woman in her 40s with shoulder-length blond hair, walked into the room and looked over the machines. She wrote down some numbers and then turn to Jackson. “It looks like the doctor should be here in the next hour to administer the final dose of medicine to finally wake your brother up.”

Even though this was great news, Jackson could only give a small grunt of approval. 

One talk show morphed into another and after about an hour, a portly doctor walked through the door.

Jackson stood up and shook the doctor’s outstretched hand. The doctor wore a powder blue dress shirt with a dark blue tie under his white lab coat. His greying hair was thinning out on the top.

“Mr. Hall, I’m Dr. Goodwin. How are you today?”

“I could be better.”

A chuckle that shook Goodwin’s entire body bellowed out. “Well, you've got me there. Now, let's wake up your brother.”

Jackson's stomach flipped and his heart started to pound. Nerves overtook his body, but he put on a strong face.

“Now, " Goodwin’s voice took on a serious tone. “We have given him painkillers, but he will still feel some pain when he wakes. Furthermore, we don't know how much he remembers, so we need to be prepared for a lot of confusion. We will have to keep him intubated until we are sure that he is able to breathe on his own. Do you understand everything I have told you?”

Jackson took a deep breath and hid his shaking hands in his pockets. He gave the doctor a quick nod and Goodwin turned to the intern that was standing behind him.

Jackson moved to the head of the bed across from Dr. Goodwin, while the intern and nurse waited at the end of the bed.

Dr. Goodwin pressed a few buttons on the IV machine to turn off the last of the sleeping med. The nurse handed him a syringe and with a quick glance to Jackson he popped the cap and inserted it into the IV port.

After a few minutes of waiting, Ryker’s hand twitched. His eyes slowly opened and looked toward Jackson.

A look of confusion formed on Ryker’s face and he tried to lift his hands to sign a question, only to find them somewhat immobile. Ryker’s heart rate spiked and he attempted to pull at the ventilator tube.

The doctor reached up a gentle hand up to stop Ryker from injuring himself. “Mr. Hall, I know this is all confusing, and I will explain everything, I just need you to calm down.”

“Uh, Doc," Jackson spoke up softly as he simultaneously signed, “my brother is deaf, so if you speak slowly I can interpret.” 

The doctor’s eyebrows raised into his non-existent hairline as he let out a small, “Oh”.

Ryker frantically looked at his big brother and pleaded with his eyes for answers.

Jackson fought back tears and his voice wavered as he spoke for those around him signing to his brother.

“Ry, you were in an accident. You've been in a coma for about a day. You're hurt...bad, and I need you to calm down so you don't hurt yourself more.”

Tears leaked down Ryker’s face. His heart rate, while still elevated, became more steady and his breathing slowed. He relaxed his body and gave a small nod to his brother. 

Jackson looked back at the doctor and nodded for him to start his speech.

“You arrived in our ER yesterday morning with multiple injuries. The most severe is the broken femur, fractured left arm, and the concussion. The concussion will take time to heal. We plan to cast your arm as soon as the swelling goes down. But your leg is going to require surgery. As you can see we have it in traction to keep it immobile until your scheduled surgery this afternoon.” Goodwin stopped to give Jackson a chance to catch up.

“Now, I have observed that you seem to be able to breathe on your own. Let's see how you do without that pesky tube in your throat. What do ya say?” The doctor plastered a smile on his face. 

Ryker pulled his eyes from his brother and looked at the doctor. He gave a small nod and looked back at Jax for strength.

The doctor signal to the nurse and intern, and they moved to the bedside, moving Jackson to the foot of the bed.

He watched as they turned off the ventilator and waited a few minutes to gauge Ryker’s response. After they were satisfied with his breathing, Dr. Goodwin spoke to Jackson.

“We need him to take a deep breath, then on the count of three, he needs to blow out as hard as he can. We will pull the tube out at this time.”

Jackson relayed the information to his brother and a few minutes later Ryker was coughing as the tube was pulled free from his throat.

Dr. Goodwin checked the young man's oxygen rate for a few minutes and then left the room mentioning that he would check back later that day. 

The nurse stayed for a few more minutes and Jackson moved to her side. 

“It's more respectful if you look at him,” Jackson pointed to Ryker, “as you speak. I will interpret, but please speak to him. Also, do you think we could get a pen and paper so he can communicate for himself?”

“Let me see if I can find you some.” The nurse smiled and left the room.

With all the commotion done, the only sound in the room was the study beeping of the monitors. Jackson took a deep breath and turned his attention back to his brother.

Ryker looked up at him with a questioning look on his face that could only be interpreted as, “What the hell?”

Trying to keep some privacy to their conversation, Jackson decided to only sign to his brother.

_I don't know. I got a call yesterday morning that you had been hit by a car. Do you remember anything?_

Ryker slowly shook his head, closing his eyes briefly as the movement cause shooting pain in his brain.

Jackson waiting until it looked like the pain subsided and his brother looked at him again before continuing.

_You really scared me, Ry. I know it’s not your fault, but after mom and dad-_

Jackson had to stop so he could wipe the tears running down his face. He closed his eyes, pinched the bridge of his nose, and took deep breaths to stop the sobs from coming.

He felt a warm hand envelop his and opened his eyes to see Ryker looking up at him with a combination of worry and love in his eyes. The younger man mouthed "I'm sorry”.

Jackson gave a warm smile to his brother.

The click of the door opening caused Jackson to jump, and the nurse walked in.

“I found a pad of paper and a pen. I know it's not much.”

Jackson quickly wiped his face and plastered on a cheerful smile as he took the items from the nurse. He handed the pen to Ryker and with help from the nurse, moved the younger man into a more upright position. Jackson then moved the small side table up so that he would have a more stable surface to write on.

After a few moments of fumbling, Ryker was able to get into a position to write on the paper. He held up the pad with “Surgery?” written on it.

The nurse turned and looked at the clock. “You have a couple more hours until that time. You can't eat anything, so the IV will stay hooked up. Once you wake from surgery and are able to keep down food, then we will unhook the drip. We’ll keep the needle in, just in case we have to administer a medicine.”

Ryker brought his non-wrapped hand up to his chin and touched it with his four fingers. He then brought them out towards the nurse.

She gave him a warm smile, said “You're welcome,” and then left the room.

With the commotion died down, Jackson took this time to update his work with what he knew. Turning his back to his brother, he dialed the number.

After a few rings his coworker Amanda answered.

“Hey ‘Manda, it's Jax.”

“Hey, Jax. How are you? How’s your brother?”

“I'm doing better. Ryker is pretty banged up and he’s having surgery later today.”

“Ah man. Well, know that all of us here are thinking of you.”

“Thanks.” Jackson felt his cheeks warm with a blush. He was not used to people showing so much care for him.

“Oh,” Amanda exclaimed, “you've had a few visitors asking about you.”

“Really?” Jackson was surprised to hear this news.

“Well, Felix was in looking for you. We told him that you had the day off, but he's a smart kid so he's going to know that something is up. And some guy came in asking for you.”

Jax’s stomach dropped.

“He seemed concerned, and he's cute.”

“He may be cute, but he's also a cocky asshole.”

“Jax he seemed really worried. I've never known someone to act like that towards you. I gave him your number so…”

“So, what? I am supposed to wait for his call! Why would you do that?!” Jackson was fuming.

“Jackson, you've got to let someone in. Why not just take his call and see where it can go?” Amanda sounded sincere.

Jackson took a deep breath and measured his words carefully. He spoke as calmly as he could. “Look, this is more stress that I don't need. What I am going to do is ignore that this has happened and I'm going to just focus on my brother.”

And in a moment that he was not particularly proud of, Jackson hung up on his coworker.

He took another deep breath before turning around to face his brother.

Ryker was watching him carefully. He scribbled on the pad of paper quickly and then held it up for Jax to see.

“You ok?”

Jackson gave a weak smile and nodded.

_Yeah. A coworker thought she was helping, but it has the potential to cause more stress. But I am focused on you._

“I’m not a little kid!”

_No, but you are my brother and I will worry about you all I want._

Ryker sighed and rolled his eyes dramatically.


	3. Chapter 3

The waiting room was cold, and Jackson had almost fallen asleep four times. Ryker was back for his surgery and had been there for the past two hours. So Jax was just waiting on the doctor to come out and let him know how his little brother was doing.

His mind was going to places he wished it wouldn’t, so to distract himself he pulled out his phone.

No one had called or texted. Even though he was upset that Amanda had given his number to Kai, he couldn’t help but feel a little bummed that Kai hadn’t tried to get ahold of him. If the older man was so concerned, don’t you think that he would have at least sent a “How are you?” text?

The pager in Jackson’s lap buzzed alerting him that the receptionist had information.

“It looks like your brother is out of surgery and the doctor would like to discuss some things with you. I’ll take you into one of the consultation rooms.”

Once through the large double doors that led to the post-op rooms, Jackson was put into a room only big enough for a couple of chairs, and end table, and a whiteboard on one wall.

Dr. Goodwin stepped through the door just a few moments later.

“Mr. Hall, good to see you again.” His smile was warm and Jackson felt a little better seeing it. “Everything went great. Now, Ryker will still be in traction for a little bit as we wait for the bone to begin to stitch together a bit. Then we will cast it. Since he is awoken from his short coma and has been stable all day, we will be moving him out of ICU and into a regular room. So by the time he is out of recovery, he will be going there.

Jackson was elated to that his brother was well enough to be moved out of ICU.

The doctor explained a few more things about the surgery and told Jackson to make sure his brother let the nurses know if he was in any excessive pain, but Jax didn’t hear everything. He was just glad to have this behind him and now they could move toward getting Ry out of the hospital.

Ryker’s new room was on the fourth floor and smaller than the last one, but it held a lot fewer machines, so Jackson breathed a bit easier.

Jackson had been brought to the room just before Ryker was brought up. Ry was still sleeping, not fully woken from anesthesia, so Jax took some time to go through his bags and take stock of what he had grabbed.

After digging for a few minutes, Jackson realized that he had forgotten shampoo, a comb, and toothpaste. He figured that he could just borrow what they provided for Ryker.

There were a few items that Jackson needed to make the time he would be spending in the hospital go quicker. He made a mental note to go to the local store down the street, once the younger man woke up, to get headphones, a notebook, and pencils.

Jackson heard a soft tapping from behind him and turned to see his brother, still a bit sleepy, staring at him.

_Hey, bud. How are you feeling?_

Ryker brought his uncasted hand up to his face palm up, then moved it down while turning it palm down. _Bad._

_I’ll let the nurses know how you are feeling. I need to go out and get some things I didn’t grab from my place. WIll you be ok for a few minutes?_

Ryker nodded and closed his eyes.

Jackson made sure he had his wallet and keys, then quietly left the room. 

Walking over to the nurse's station he saw a familiar face. The young nurse from the day before was sitting behind the desk.

“Hi. I wasn’t expecting to see you up here.” Jackson couldn’t hide the excited joy in his voice. “Do nurses usually hop departments?”

The young girl chuckled. “Sometimes, but your brother is unique, so they okayed me to be here to help out.”

“Wow, that was nice of them. Well, I have to run out and get some things to keep me entertained while I am here. He just woke up, but he doesn't seem to be feeling great.”

“Alright, I will go check on him. He’s probably just nauseated from the anesthesia. I’ll take good care of him while you are gone.”

“Thank you, um… I just realized that I never got your name.” Jackson felt embarrassed. 

“Don’t worry about it. You have been a little busy. It’s Jenny.”

“Well, thank you, Jenny. I shouldn’t be long, but you have my number if you need.”

Jackson gave a small wave and made his way to his car.

The store was about five minutes away. It was small but had everything he was going to need. After grabbing the entertainment items, he decided to grab a few snacks as well. Jax wasn’t sure if his brother would be able to have any sweets yet, but he picked him up some peanut butter cups anyway.

Jax was debating if he wanted the Crunch bar or the 3 Musketeers when a familiar voice spoke to him.

“Crunch has always been my favorite. The crispy rice and chocolate, you can’t go wrong.”

Jackson turned to find Kai standing next to him in the aisle.

At first, he couldn’t believe that he was seeing. But after a moment, the only thing that his brain would allow him to say was, “What?!”

“If you are trying to choose, I would go with that one.” Kai was nonchalant in his speech and grabbed the candy from the shorter man’s hand.

Jackson shook his head to clear it. “No! That’s not what I meant. I meant, what the hell are you doing here?” Jax had so many emotions running through him, that he couldn’t pinpoint exactly how he felt.

“Oh,” Kai sounded a bit sheepish now, “Well, when I stopped into the video store to return the movie, and thank you again for finding it, the told me you weren’t there. The way that your co-worker spoke, it seemed serious. She wouldn’t tell me much but gave me your number. I guess she thought that I would call, but I may have… GPS-ed your phone.”

Jackson was dumbfounded and speechless. He just stood staring at the other man as his brain tried to reboot. “You… GPS-ed my phone?”

“I saw the hospital and got worried. I thought I would check on you.”

“I think you pronounced stalk wrong.” Jackson spat.

“It sounded sane at the time.”

“There is no universe where that sounds sane.” Jackson rolled his eyes and put the 3 Musketeers back on the shelf. He was almost out of the aisle when a thought occurred to him. He spun on his heels so fast that Kai had to jump back.

“Wait! So you were able to see I was at the hospital, but how the hell did you know that I was here?” He pointed at the floor to suggest the store.

Kai started to rub the back of his neck in a nervous way. “Well, I only knew your first name and the nurses weren’t giving me any info, so I was standing outside trying to figure out what to do when you walked out the doors. So, I followed you here.”

“You know, this is not sounding any less creepy,” Jax deadpanned.

“Look, I know this all seems… odd, but it really did come from a place of caring.” Kari’s voice has a hint of pleading. 

Jackson couldn’t help the warmth that bloomed in his chest. It was true that no one had cared for him like this, save for his family, but he had been burned before and was not going to trust so easily.

He turned again, walked quickly to the cashiers, and left quickly without looking behind him.

He didn’t want to go back to Ryker’s room in the mess of emotions he was in. His brother would be able to sniff him out and Jax may be asked questions even he didn’t know the answers to yet.  
Sitting in his car, he closed his eyes and took a few breaths of the air from his open window. Kai was aggravating. He was cocky, boisterous, and way more forward than Jax was comfortable with. But now and again, the facade dropped and there was a vulnerability, a caring, and something that Jackson couldn’t put his finger on. The back and forth made Jackson’s head spin.

“Jacky? Jacky is that you?” The shrill voice cut through Jackson’s thoughts.

 _No! Not him. Not now_. Jax pleaded to himself.

He opened his eyes and looked in the direction the voice came from and spotted the offending target. The man was Jackson’s age and approximate height. He had bleach blond spiked hair and a devilish smile. His bright blue eyes shone with mischief. To an outsider he was beautiful. To Jackson, he was as ugly as oil. The man began walking toward Jackson, so he got out of his car. 

“Holy shit, that is you.” The man wrapped Jackson into a tight hug and Jax’s stomach flipped.

“Hey, Spence. How’s life been?” Jackson asked the question but could care less about the answer.

“Living the life. I own the supplement store up on 2nd Ave., and I’ve got a 4 bedroom/3 bath in Glen Oaks. Plus that little beauty there.” Jackson looked in the direction Spence pointed and saw a beautifully restored Ford Mustang Shelby GT. It was baby blue with black racing stripes.

Jackson looked back at his dark green hatchback from the mid-’90s. He loved his car, but it was a bit of an eyesore. He thought about his one bedroom apartment with the leaky faucet. Even his beloved job was menial in comparison. He felt his self worth slip a little.

“How long has it been? I haven't heard hide or tail of you since graduation.”

“Yup,” was all Jackson could manage. He was not going to divulge the past seven years to just anyone, especially not someone like Spence.

“Well, since you are back, are you looking for any fun?” Spence’s voice had dropped low and held a dangerous tone. He stepped closer to Jackson, almost pinning him to his car.

Jackson’s heart began to race. He knew what was on Spence’s mind and he knew he needed to get away, but an uncomfortable fear held him in place and choked the words in his throat.

“I remember our time in high school. You never quite gave up all the goods. Have the years loosened you up?” Spence was dangerously close and Jax could feel Spence’s half hard cock pressing up against his thigh.  
Jax took a calculated breath, closed his eyes, and using all his brain function managed to squeak out, “Spence, please.”

“Please, what? Tell me what you want.” The offending man’s voice washed over him like an oily slick and left him with a feeling of dread.

Jackson was not going to be able to get out of this. Spence was too strong, physically and emotionally. He saw no other way out of this situation.

“Um, could you back off?” Kai’s voice cut through the tension.

Spence didn’t move one inch, staying completely pressed up against Jax, and turned only his head. “Excuse me?” He spat sounding as offended as if Kai had bad mouth his mother.

“Excuse you! But why exactly are you pressed up against my boyfriend?” Kai spat back without missing a beat. 

_Boyfriend? What the hell was Kai talking about?_ Jackson thought to himself. His throat was still choking on words that wouldn’t release.

Spence took a step back and Jackson took a much needed of breath. 

“Your what?”

“My boyfriend. He looks rather uncomfortable and you are not allowing much breathing room.”

Spence looked from Kai to Jackson, and back to Kai. “You are with him?” Spence pointed at Jax speaking incredulously. 

Kai only gave a nod. 

Spence’s face split into a menacing smile and his head felt bad as loud laughter ripped through his body. “Yeah sure, and I’m the Easter bunny.”

Kai stepped forward to stand next to Jackson. He gently took the shorter man’s hand in his and linked their fingers together.

Kai’s hand was warm in a comforting way, and Jackson’s brain worked on autopilot letting everything happened.

“I can’t believe that you would waste your time with this worthless shit.”

“Uh, were you not the one that was just pushing yourself up against him?”

Spence scoffed, “Well yeah, but only as a pity fuck. I was going to finally deflower the prude from high school.”

Jackson internally winced. He had been confused about pretty much everything in high school and never had sex, unlike most of his classmates. He knew that he had been labeled a prude, but to hear it again hurt.

Kai squeezed Jackson’s hand briefly at the word _prude_ , but he let go just as quick and stepped forward into Spence’s personal space. “You mind amending those words?” Kai spoke through gritted teeth. 

Spence tried to stand taller but failed to reach close to Kai’s height. “I spoke the truth and I would appreciate you backing the FUCK OFF!” Spence brought his hands up to Kai’s chest and gave a forceful shove.

Kai was only moved a step back, but he stepped forward again just as quick. 

Seen that the two men were about to come to blows, Jackson’s brain finally kicked into gear. He thrust his body forward and wedged himself in between the men. His chest was pressed firmly against Kai. He brought his hands up and felt the defined muscles under the taller man’s shirt. He felt the tension let up a bit and at Jackson’s slight push he stepped back towards the car. 

“Pfft, whatever man.” Spence tried to sound unamused, but Jackson could tell how much this bothered him. “I don’t really want to get with you anyway. I’m afraid that I may catch something and end up like that idiot brother of yours and not be able to hear.”

Before Jackson could even process what was said, a blur flew past his vision. The next thing he knew Spence was flat on his ass, his nose leaking blood like a running faucet. 

“THE FUCK! You broke my nose!”

Kai stood over the yelling man, looking down at him with control the anger on his face. “Good,” was all he said as he turned and went back to Jax. 

As soon as his back was to Spence, the entire geography of his face change to one of concern. He walked slowly, and carefully placed his hands on either side of Jackson’s face. The touch was soft.

“Are you ok?”

Jackson was taken back for a moment at the touch, but recovered quickly and get a quick sharp nod.

Kai seemed to breathe a sigh of relief and dropped his hands. Glancing quickly over his shoulder, he watched as Spence retreated to his car and fetched a towel from the front seat.

Looking back at Jackson, he walked to the passenger side of the car and spoke to words, “Let’s go.”

They were halfway back to the hospital when Jackson finally snapped back to reality. Without thinking he slammed on the breaks, stopping in the middle of a side street. Luckily no one else was around. Kai made a surprised choking sound as the seat belt locked into place.

“What the fuck?” Jax screamed.

“What? Did you hit a dog?” Kai sounded panicked.

“No,” Jackson exclaimed sounding annoyed. “What the fuck was all that shit back there?”

“Um, pretty sure I helped you out of a sticky situation. A thank you would be nice.”

“Huh? No, the boyfriend crap. We are not boyfriends.” Jackson could feel the anger building a fire in his belly. “You practically stalked me.”

“Oh, yeah. Well, it got him to step back, right?” Kai sounded like he was fighting his side in court, “And the stalking was accidental.” 

Jackson rolled his eyes so hard it hurt. He sighed to keep his anger at bay. Kai did help and hearing him call Jax his boyfriend didn’t completely gross him out, but there were transgressions to deal with. Then, a thought came into Jackson’s head.

“Didn’t you have a car of your own? Why did you get into mine?”

Kai answered slowly. “Yeah, I have a car, but Dickweed would have known something was up if we got into different cars.”

Jackson stared back at the other man and huffed. “Fine, I’ll give you that, But I’m taking you back to your car now. I’ve got too much crap going on at the hospital, I don’t need the added stress of worrying about you.”

“NO!” Kai shouted startling Jax. He lowered his voice as he finished his statement. “There hasn’t been enough time past. What if Spence hasn’t left? How would that look?”

Jackson’s jaw clenched. Kai was fighting back more than he should be. He knew that he couldn’t take Kai back to his Ryker’s room, but he also didn’t want to risk running into Spence again. So he settled on something that made him just a bit less uneasy. Sighing, he prepared himself for what was to come next.

“Look, I can’t take you back to the hospital, I’m not sharing that yet. But if you are going to be sticking around, like I think you are, then you are going to need to know at least a small background. So we’ll go to the hospital parking lot, you can ask questions, and in a little bit, I’ll take you back to your car. Sound fair?”

Kai sat unmoved and after what felt like hours, but was probably only minutes, he agreed and Jackson finally got his car moving toward their destination.

~~***~~

“Ok, let me get this correct,” Kai sounded a bit flustered. Jax and he had been sitting in the parking lot for the past thirty minutes. “You are Jackson Hall. You have a younger brother who is deaf. You gained custody seven years ago, but you won’t tell me why. On account of the debacle back there, I'm guessing that you’re gay or at least bi. Oh, and you have a mystery person connected to you in that hospital.”

Jackson pinched the bridge of his nose. He had managed to skirt most of Kai’s questions, but some things had to be known in case they ran into someone else Jax knew. Sighing he looked back at Kai. “Anything else you want to know? I’m not giving up any more personal stuff.”

Kai stared back intensely. The eye contact was slightly uncomfortable, but oddly calming at the same time. Jax felt a warmth start brewing in his stomach. He broke eye contact and stared at the steering wheel.

“Why the video store?” Kai’s voice intrigued.

Jackson’s head snapped toward Kai, his face held a questioning look.

Kai smiled softly and asked again, “Why the video store? Why not go back to school and work for more money?”

Jackson swallowed thickly. This had been a question on many people’s lips, but this time it sounded more heartfelt. “I love movies. The job is fun and pays the bills. Sometimes I get free pizza.” He shrugged not knowing what else to say.

Kai snorted and shook his head. The act lifted some of the anxiety from Jax’s chest. He allowed a small smile to crack his face.

The ringtone on Jackson’s phone chose that moment to ring, startling the two men. Jax looked at the screen to see the hospital’s number bright on the screen. He quickly answered it.  
“Jackson, it’s Jenny.” Her voice was chipper but sounded rushed. “Are you near that you could get back here? Ryker has spiked a fever. He won’t let us help and is only asking for you.”

Jackson’s heart rate jumped. “I’m in the parking lot. I’ll be up in two minutes.” He looked over to see an unreadable look on Kai’s face. “I have to go. Stay here, I’ll be back as soon as I can.” With that, he bolted from the car.


	4. Chapter 4

By the time he reached the fourth floor, he was out of breath. Jackson didn’t want to wait for the elevator, so he ran up the stairs. Jenny was waiting for him outside Ryker’s room. She had a concerned look on her face. He bent over to catch his breath for a moment before standing back up.

“What...happened?” Jax wheezed

“I don’t know. He was sleeping fine and then his heart rate spiked. He developed a fever and the pain meds we gave him aren’t helping. We paged the doctor, but I’m pretty sure he has an infection somewhere. What I need you to do, is to try and calm him. His body has been through so much, the added stress isn’t helping.”

Jackson steeled himself for what was on the other side of the door. Taking a deep breath, he pushed the door open.

Ryker was on his back, his face screwed up in pain, and his monitors blinking and yelling at the higher pulse rate, blood pressure, and oxygen. Jackson walked over to his brother and put on his calmest face. He placed a gentle hand on the younger man’s chest and waited for him to open his eyes.

_Hey, Bud_

Ryker brought his hands up and with just the pointer fingers, he touched them together and twisted them back and forth.

_Pain_

_I know. You have to let her help._

_No. She makes things worse. I want to go home._

Jackson’s heart clenched. Ryker had spent many days in hospitals as a kid and Jax knew he disliked them. _I know, but we can’t yet. You’ve got to be just a bit better._

Ryker’s monitors hadn’t let up the whole time Jax was talking to him, but just then they started squealing faster and louder. Jackson watched as his baby brother went slack in the bed and his eyes rolled back in his head.

Jenny bolted from the doorway and threw her fingers on the pulse point of Ryker’s throat. She swore under her breath and hit a button on the wall. A voice called over the loudspeakers about a code of some sort as nurses and resident doctors ran into the room. Jackson was pushed out as the door was slammed into his face.

Every emotion that he had been holding in to save face for Ry melted out of him and his knees hit the floor. His chest seized, there was no air in his lungs, and his eyes burned with the tears that had formed there.

He felt a solid hand on his shoulder. He looked up to see Kai standing next to him. Without thinking he stood up and buried his face into the taller man’s chest. Kai said nothing and wrapped Jackson in a tight embrace. He held him until the hiccups slowed down, then lead him to the consultation room the nurses opened for him.

The two men sat in partial silence, only interrupted by Jackson’s occasional sniffs. After fifteen minutes, Jenny came into the room. Jackson jumped to his feet.

“How is he? Is he ok? What happened?”

“Jackson, slow down,” her voice was stern but caring, “As I stated just a moment ago, Ryker developed an infection. His body was so stressed due to the accident that he went into cardiac arrest. We got him back after five minutes, but he is going to have to go back ICU. The doctor is deciding the future course of action for the infection. We are treating with antibiotics at the moment.”

Jackson stood unmoving as he digested the information.

“I’m going to give you a few minutes while I get his new room number.” Jenny turned and left the room as quietly as she could.

Jax just stood and stared at the closed door in shock. What was going on with his life? How was all of this falling apart so fast?

He jumped when he felt Kai’s hand brush his back. The older man was rubbing small circles into Jackson’s back He knew that the gesture was supposed to be comforting, but the contact was making his skin crawl. He rolled his shoulders away from Kai and stepped out of his reach.

“Leave,” Jax whispered.

Kai’s face fell. “Huh?”

Jackson turned around with a hard look in his eyes, stared down Kai, and spat, “Leave! I don’t need this!”

“What? A friend?”

“Friend!?” Jax shouted incredulously, “You are not my friend. You are just some guy who’s been stalking me.”

Kai took a step back like he had been shot. The pained look on his face made Jackson instantly regret his words, but he made no effort to amend his statement. He knew, in the long run, it would be better for Kai to leave now. To not get invested in something that Jax knew would eventually end in heartbreak for himself.

Without another word, Kai quickly rushed past Jax and left the room.

Jackson waited a few minutes to ensure Kai was far enough away before he collapsed against the wall and cried until there were no more tears. Jenny found him 20 minutes later lying on the floor, completely exhausted from the day.

She lead him back to ICU and into Ryker’s room, where he once again lie prone with wires everywhere.

Jax vaguely remembered her voice saying something about “no surgery” and “playing the waiting game”.

By the next morning, Ryker was still unconscious, but he was breathing on his own accord so they didn’t intubate.

Jackson had been sitting in the same position all day, on the window bench staring out the window. He ha not spoken to anyone, not even Jenny. She had attempted to get him to eat, but he refused. He was tired. Tired from staying strong for his brother and tired of fighting with himself.

The internal war between his mind and his heart was aggravating. Logically he should keep Kai away with a 50-foot pole, but thinking about the other man caused a pain that had only one cure.

A single tear rolled down his face and Jax quickly wiped it away.

He didn’t have the time for this. He needed to pick himself up and figure things out for his brother.

Jackson knew that one thing was certain, his brother was going to have to come live with him. This was the only way to keep an eye on him and help him properly heal. It was going to be a tight squeeze, but Jax knew that they would make it work.

Grabbing his phone, he decided to call his work and give them a brief update. Unfortunately, he got the voicemail. He figured that they must be busy, so he made a mental note to call back later.

Sitting in the room alone with his thoughts made his head spin. There were too many what if’s that ran there. He feared for his brother’s future and worried about his own. If he sat like this any longer he would go mad. Turning the tv on, he hoped that he could escape for a few hours.

Jackson was halfway through Captain America: Civil War when he heard the rustle of bedsheets. He looked up to see Ryker awake. He jumped up quickly to greet his brother once more.

 _Hey you!_ Jackson signed fighting the tears in his eyes.

Ryker was weak to answer. _Hi_

Jackson quickly spoke, so that Ryker could conserve energy, _Don’t talk. You have to save your energy. I lost you for a bit, but you’re back now. So just stay there, I’ll get a nurse._ And Jax pressed the red nurse button on the side of the bed. He felt Ryker’s hand gently brush away the tears that had escaped.

~~***~~

After Ryker woke everything moved a lot faster. The antibiotics had done their job and killed the infection that was making him so weak. It wasn’t long before he was out of ICU and back on the non-emergent floor.

Jenny was assigned his nurse every chance she could and Jackson could see that there was a spark between her and Ryker.

It made him happy to see his brother’s face light up whenever the woman entered the room, but it also caused pain in his chest. 

He wanted to feel that kind of joy on his face, but he knew that he had pushed away from the first person in a long time to be the closest to giving him that. He pushed that thought away and turned his attention to the “doctor of the day” talking about care after discharge.

“So once discharge, you will have to find a physical therapist. You have a long road ahead of you.”  
Jackson stepped in and spoke up, “I have a couple of leads on some therapy clinics back home and I even have an in-home nurse to fill the gaps of when I have to work.”

A slap to the arm caught Jax off guard. He looked down to see an angered look on Ryker’s face. 

_I am not a child!_

_No,_ Jackson started, _you’re not. But you are not going to be able to take care of yourself for a little bit. This is only while you heal. Promise._

Ryker seemed to think this over for a moment, then he asked a question that Jackson was ready for.

_What about Jenny? She could take care of me._

_NO!_ Jackson signed hard, at the same time that Jenny snorted a laugh that Ryker didn’t see. _Jenny can come to visit whenever she wants, but she has a very busy job._

Ryker glanced at Jenny only to have her back Jackson up. Ryker seemed to deflate a bit, but it seemed that he understood.

“So, did everything get worked out?” The doctor asked sounding a little confused.

“Yes,” Jax answered confidently.

“Wonderful. Well, everything is looking pretty good. So it looks like you should be able to go home in just a couple of days.” And without another word, the doctor turned and walked out of the room.

Jenny stepped forward and put a hand on top of Ryker’s and gave him a soft smile. Jackson felt like he was intruding on a moment, so he turned his back and went to pack up some things that he had strewn across the small bench area he had been sitting on. 

Once he heard the door close, he turned around to see his brother staring at him with a worried look on his face. 

_Are you sure you want me at your place?_

Jackson was taken back. _Of course, I do. What makes you think that I wouldn’t?_

 _Well, what if you want to have someone over?_

Jackson hid the pain in his heart the best he could. _There is no one that I am going to want to bring back. My life is not as exciting as you may think._

Ryker acted like he wanted to say something, but Jackson interjected.

_Don’t worry about me. We have bigger things to worry about, like what kind of pizza are we going to have when we finally get home?_

~~***~~

The doctor was correct, two days later Ryker was being wheeled out of the large building. Jenny had the day off, so she came to assist.

Due to his cast, Ryker had to fit himself into the backseat sideways. Jackson promised to take it easy on the drive back but also made sure the younger man had his painkillers just in case.

Jenny promised to visit the next time she had a weekend off, which it looked like was later that month, and made Jax promise that he would let her know when they made back to town safely.

The drive was, of course, slower this time. Though Ryker slept most of the way. The rhythmic vibration of the bass beat of the music soothed him. 

Jax felt relief settle in his chest. He was glad that his younger brother was doing better and he was excited to get to spend some time with him. Even if the course of events sucked.

Getting Ryker up the stairs was a journey in of itself. They both made mental notes of how to attack this event better in the future. 

Once Jackson had Ryker situated with everything he would need for the next 20 minutes, he made a quick run to his work to let them know that he was finally back and to check the schedule. 

Everyone welcomed him back cheerfully and he was surprised to see Felix was there.

“Hey, little man.” He greeted the young man with a high five.

“Jax! Glad to see you’re back.”

“Yep. My little brother was in the hospital, but everything is better now. I even get to spend some unexpected time with him since he is living with me a little while. How’s life treating you?”

Felix’s face lit up. “So good. I have all A’s, except Gym. I refuse to participate in square dancing, so the teacher knocked me a full letter grade. Oh, Mom’s new guy is actually a pretty stand up guy. He even took me to a baseball game last week. I’m hoping he sticks around.”

Jackson was surprised. A lot had happened while he was gone. He was glad that Felix had a good role model in his life. If it had come to it, Jackson would have taken custody and helped him out. He wasn’t quite sure how that would have worked, but he wanted to see good things for the preteen.

“Now that you are back I can get better movie ideas. Amanda is just not cutting it.” 

Jackson ruffled Felix’s hair and promised to get some good movies to him.

~~***~~

“Hi, I’m here to check in Ryker Hall for an 11 AM appointment,” Jackson spoke to the receptionist. He handed over the insurance information and gave the intake papers to Ryker to fill out. “I will have to be present at all the appointments to interpret for him.”

The young woman behind the counter nodded in agreeance and added the note to Ryker’s chart, then handed back the insurance cards

The two brothers sat in the quiet waiting room staring at there phones for what felt like an hour, but was actually only about 15 minutes, when the door opened.

“Ryker Hall?” a voice called out.

Jackson looked up only to be staring into two different colored eyes and his stomach dropped. There standing in front of him was Kai. Jackson was rooted to his seat.

Kai looked just as surprised, but took the few steps forward to greet the two of them. 

“Uh, hi.” Kai sounded nervous, but still trying to stay professional.

Ryker looked from Jackson to Kai before punching Jackson in the arm bringing him back to reality. He gave his older brother a confused look.

Jackson took a deep breath before signing as he spoke, “Ryker, this is Kai. He’s, um, a customer that comes into the store.”

 _Looks like he’s more than just a customer._ Ryker jabbed.

Jackson’s face flushed, Ryker laughed, and Kai just looked confused. 

Jackson tried to ignore the heat he felt on his face and quickly spoke to Kai. “Kai, this is Ryker. My little brother who was in the hospital.”

Recognition appeared on Kai’s face, but he quickly smoothed it. “Nice to meet you, Ryker,” he spoke clearly and slowly as he offered his hand for the younger man to shake.

Ryker took it and then turned to his brother. _I like him,_ he said with a smile.

“Well,” Kai stated, “why don’t we go back and start on some light stretches.”

Jackson interpreted and Ryker nodded in agreeance. Looking back at Kai, the three went back through the door.

An hour later Kai was helping get Ryker back into the car. Turning around he caught Jackson by the arm.

“I wanted to apologize for everything that I did to find you. It was wrong for me to invade your privacy.”

“True, but if you hadn’t I may have been put into a bad situation with Spence. I never did thank you for that.”

“Can we start over?” Kai sounded extremely vulnerable.

Jackson thought about the question and everything that had gone on in the past weeks. He knew that the answer had been there, he had just been too scared to accept it.

A smile broke his face as he answered, “I would like that.”

“Awesome. I’ll text you later. I’m petty sure that I have your number.”


End file.
